price increase

[RadioactiveSpyder]

So don't buy Spyderco knives, nobody's forcing you. If you are upset by Spyderco's diabolical price increases over the last 2 decades, then vote with your wallet by spending your money elsewhere. You've made your point (although I'm pretty sure the math is not 100% accurate), flame off.

[Evil D]

Welcome to modern times. A Mustang used to be the working man's performance car and you could buy one on a reasonable budget, now they cost you $40k+. Everything is more expensive. You get what you pay for.

[SG89]

Pretty sure the Spyderco value line and byrd line will work just fine for you since you claim you don't need vg10 or it's price increase. Most if not all those knives can be had for less than 60 bucks some less than 30 bucks.

[bearfacedkiller]

It seems as though the price of most things has outpaced inflation over the past 20 years...

[El Gato]

I know for an absolute and undisputable fact that the price of most things has far outpaced my little retirement pension check. :D LOL
It's okay. I can still find enough to buy my Spydies. Life's good. :spyder:

[farnorthdan]

Just shows you the true value of the dollar, the governments inflation index is a joke. And a big +1 to "you get what you pay for"

Spyderco is still the best bang for your buck knife company in my book.

[AncientSpydieOwner]

So don't buy Spyderco knives, nobody's forcing you. If you are upset by Spyderco's diabolical price increases over the last 2 decades, then vote with your wallet by spending your money elsewhere. You've made your point (although I'm pretty sure the math is not 100% accurate), flame off.

Whoa, not sure why you felt the need to be so hostile and defensive; as for telling me to "flame off" - I didn't "flame" anyone or anything by merely reporting what spydercos cost in the 90s versus now adjusted for inflation. And your claim about being "pretty sure the math is not 100% accurate" is pretty transparent that you don't like what the math says and so want to cast doubt on it but haven't done your own math so have no idea whatsoever.

[AncientSpydieOwner]

Welcome to modern times. A Mustang used to be the working man's performance car and you could buy one on a reasonable budget, now they cost you $40k+. Everything is more expensive. You get what you pay for.

That's not really an apt comparison, now is it? A 2017 Mustang is a vastly more complicated piece of machinery than a 1965 Mustang, with computer-controlled ignition, emissions and safety requirements, etc. How much different in form and function is a 2017 Delica from a 1997 one?

[Evil D]

Welcome to modern times. A Mustang used to be the working man's performance car and you could buy one on a reasonable budget, now they cost you $40k+. Everything is more expensive. You get what you pay for.

That's not really an apt comparison, now is it? A 2017 Mustang is a vastly more complicated piece of machinery than a 1965 Mustang, with computer-controlled ignition, emissions and safety requirements, etc. How much different in form and function is a 2017 Delica from a 1997 one?

Fair enough. Inflation is what it is though. Cost changes.

[bearfacedkiller]

Full flat grind, full stainless liners, bidirectional texture, slightly longer handle, four way hourglass clip, screw together construction, larger Spydie hole, jimping, boye dent and more expensive steel. :D

[AncientSpydieOwner]

Welcome to modern times. A Mustang used to be the working man's performance car and you could buy one on a reasonable budget, now they cost you $40k+. Everything is more expensive. You get what you pay for.

That's not really an apt comparison, now is it? A 2017 Mustang is a vastly more complicated piece of machinery than a 1965 Mustang, with computer-controlled ignition, emissions and safety requirements, etc. How much different in form and function is a 2017 Delica from a 1997 one?

Fair enough. Inflation is what it is though. Cost changes.

Well, let's stick with knives and look at an iconic classic - the Opinel. Still made in France, a No. 8 MSRPs for $15 whether you want carbon steel or stainless. They are fantastic knives that last decades, even generations if properly cared for. I think they cost about $10 back in the 90s. Things, especially locking single blade folding knives don't necessarily have to have soared in price over the past 20 years. I think "cost changes" is a little too easy an answer for a knife that MSRPed for $40 in 1997 and now is $115.

[SG89]

Japan is not France

[bearfacedkiller]

msrp in 1997 was $65.95

[bearfacedkiller]

There are many threads discussing the decreasing value of knives being made Japan. We all agree there. Currency exchange rates are beyond control. Maybe you should look at knives made in Golden or Taichung. They are currently offering more value for your dollar IMO.

[StuntZombie]

Welcome to modern times. A Mustang used to be the working man's performance car and you could buy one on a reasonable budget, now they cost you $40k+. Everything is more expensive. You get what you pay for.

That's not really an apt comparison, now is it? A 2017 Mustang is a vastly more complicated piece of machinery than a 1965 Mustang, with computer-controlled ignition, emissions and safety requirements, etc. How much different in form and function is a 2017 Delica from a 1997 one?

Fair enough. Inflation is what it is though. Cost changes.

Well, let's stick with knives and look at an iconic classic - the Opinel. Still made in France, a No. 8 MSRPs for $15 whether you want carbon steel or stainless. They are fantastic knives that last decades, even generations if properly cared for. I think they cost about $10 back in the 90s. Things, especially locking single blade folding knives don't necessarily have to have soared in price over the past 20 years. I think "cost changes" is a little too easy an answer for a knife that MSRPed for $40 in 1997 and now is $115.

The Opinel is a much simpler knife that has been manufactured for over 100 years. The blades are made of lower end steels that are easily stamped out and ground, so there is less wear on the machinery. Same goes for the materials that make up their locking mechanisms. They also sell a ton of them, and I'd bet they sell more of the No8 than all of Spyderco's models combined. So some of their costs are offset by the sheer volume of product that they move.

It might be a more apt comparison if Opinel were to manufacture a more modern folder, with similar materials and construction as a Spyderco.

[Evil D]

Welcome to modern times. A Mustang used to be the working man's performance car and you could buy one on a reasonable budget, now they cost you $40k+. Everything is more expensive. You get what you pay for.

That's not really an apt comparison, now is it? A 2017 Mustang is a vastly more complicated piece of machinery than a 1965 Mustang, with computer-controlled ignition, emissions and safety requirements, etc. How much different in form and function is a 2017 Delica from a 1997 one?

Fair enough. Inflation is what it is though. Cost changes.

Well, let's stick with knives and look at an iconic classic - the Opinel. Still made in France, a No. 8 MSRPs for $15 whether you want carbon steel or stainless. They are fantastic knives that last decades, even generations if properly cared for. I think they cost about $10 back in the 90s. Things, especially locking single blade folding knives don't necessarily have to have soared in price over the past 20 years. I think "cost changes" is a little too easy an answer for a knife that MSRPed for $40 in 1997 and now is $115.

The Opinel also hasn't improved or changed at all in that time. The design and technology used in that knife hasn't changed in God knows how long. The materials they use are also sourced locally as opposed to the Delica being manufactured in Japan. There are dollar exchange rates to consider as well as the cost of materials which Spyderco have no control over nor do they have control over the cost of labor in Japan. Beyond all that, when you bought your $20 Ladybug 30 years ago Spyderco weren't half the size they are now so they have their own labor costs to pay for, not to mention simply higher demand. These are all legit reasons for price increases. It is what it is really.

[awa54]

Welcome to modern times. A Mustang used to be the working man's performance car and you could buy one on a reasonable budget, now they cost you $40k+. Everything is more expensive. You get what you pay for.

That's not really an apt comparison, now is it? A 2017 Mustang is a vastly more complicated piece of machinery than a 1965 Mustang, with computer-controlled ignition, emissions and safety requirements, etc. How much different in form and function is a 2017 Delica from a 1997 one?

Fair enough. Inflation is what it is though. Cost changes.

Well, let's stick with knives and look at an iconic classic - the Opinel. Still made in France, a No. 8 MSRPs for $15 whether you want carbon steel or stainless. They are fantastic knives that last decades, even generations if properly cared for. I think they cost about $10 back in the 90s. Things, especially locking single blade folding knives don't necessarily have to have soared in price over the past 20 years. I think "cost changes" is a little too easy an answer for a knife that MSRPed for $40 in 1997 and now is $115.

The Opinel is a much simpler knife that has been manufactured for over 100 years. The blades are made of lower end steels that are easily stamped out and ground, so there is less wear on the machinery. Same goes for the materials that make up their locking mechanisms. They also sell a ton of them, and I'd bet they sell more of the No8 than all of Spyderco's models combined. So some of their costs are offset by the sheer volume of product that they move.

It might be a more apt comparison if Opinel were to manufacture a more modern folder, with similar materials and construction as a Spyderco.

And yet, the Opinel still increased by around 50%...

as Darby pointed out the Delica/Endura 4 is a more labor and materials intensive knife to produce than the original linerless AUS8 version, whereas Opinel has added a notch to the lock ring for blade retention when closed and cheapened up the overall finish slightly, neither of which can have added any cost aside from the initial re-tooling.

It's a big market out there, full of excellent, decent and lousy knives at almost every price point, spend your money on the knives that work for you and that you feel give value... for most of us regulars here that means Spyderco, but everyone is allowed to have their opinions. :D

[The Deacon]

If I could add a long view on Spyderco price increases...I first discovered Spyderco knives in about 1995, and I thought they looked like the knife of the future. The first one I purchased was a Ladybug, for under $20. Adjusting for inflation that would be just under $30 today. I see now that a Ladybug MSRPs for right at $60. I see you can buy them on Amazon for $43. The next Spyderco I bought in 1997, a Delica, and IIRC I paid just under $40 for it, which I remember being a stretch for me as a college student. That would be a little over $60 adjusted for inflation. Now they MSRP for $115, on Amazon for $75. Of course back in the mid-90s, Amazon was still just selling books and there weren't all these online sources undercutting each others' prices to get our business, (I actually "sent away" for both knives via US mail from Brigade Quartermaster's print catalog) so I was probably paying close to MSRP.

Both knives were AUS-8, and now I see they are using VG-10, not up on my steels so not sure how much more expensive the latter is as a raw material. The Ladybug went missing some years ago after several years of EDC (though I expect it is in my house somewhere), but I still have the Delica, and it is in fantastic shape, despite being used as a dive knife in the Caribbean and East Africa, as well as years as my kayaking knife in salt water. Never had a problem with that AUS-8 cutting through rope, fishing line, etc. All it ever needed was a thin coating of silicone grease to keep from spotting. So maybe the VG-10 is a better steel, but at least for my purposes, AUS-8 was good enough and the price was right.

So my assessment of the pricing situation is that Spyderco's MSRPs have vastly outpaced inflation, and it is only the rise of high competition among online retailers that allows people to purchase Spydercos at "only" ~40% above what inflation should have made them cost. AUS-8 Spydercos were very serviceable knives, so I have trouble imagining VG-10 could be more than a simple incremental improvement in quality not justifying doubling the value of the knife even when adjusting for inflation.

One big thing that you're missing is that the Delica of today is a far different knife from the one you purchased in 1997. Better steel, screw construction, steel liners, and a metal clip that can be positioned to accommodate the needs of anyone who uses a clip, or neatly removed by those of use who do not. So, while the name may be the same, the knife most certainly is not. Granted, there are those out there who'd prefer if the Delica had never changed, but it did, and the added complexity is at least partially responsible for its current price.

[ChrisinHove]

We've all been spoilt because most consumer goods have plummeted in real price over the last few decades, mostly as a consequence of automation and Far East manufacturing.

It would also be a short-lived company that didn't make some form of judgment on their profit margin.

No doubt the big sellers have to subsidise those knives that make a loss. I'll happily pay a little more for a Delica to enable risks to be taken on new products. It's this product innovation that makes Spyderco what it is, after all.

[Username827]

While we all have our own respective opinions, it is worth noting, that the value of the American dollar has changed...a quick search on google led me to a website where low and behold that with the price of inflation, $30 from 1997 is worth almost $46.00 in todays market. Not sure what that means in reality, but it is a fun piece of information to roll around in my brain.
Now, I do think that there may be a bit of price increase built into certain models because, for a lack of a better term that escapes me at the moment, they are a "premium" knife. There are knives that are out there, that have a reputation, and that is something that you do have to pay for. I say this as someone who owns 5 Paramilitary 2's...I fully accept that I will pay more for a PM2 than a similarly made Manix 2. On Amazon, there is almost over $20 difference between the black g10/s30v Manix 2 and Paramilitary 2. So there is some food for thought. Yes, it is apples to oranges, but you still gotta eat something